Punjab & Haryana High Court warns of increasing drug smuggling from Pakistan using drones, calling it a serious threat to national security and youth. The Court dismisses anticipatory bail plea, citing need for custodial interrogation.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has raised serious concerns over the rising use of drones for smuggling drugs across the India-Pakistan border. The observation was made while hearing an anticipatory bail plea in the case.
Justice Rupinderjit Chahal highlighted the alarming nature of this crime, noting that it poses a serious risk not only to national security but also to the younger generation.
The Court said in its order,
“There is steady increase in cross border smuggling of illicit drugs through drones these days. The increasing instances of drug smuggling through drones in India from across the border i.e. Pakistan pose a grave threat not only to the security of the nation but also impacts the youth of the nation,”
The Court’s comments came while examining the plea filed by a man accused of smuggling heroin from Pakistan into India using drones.
The petitioner claimed that he was falsely implicated based solely on the statement of a co-accused, who alleged that the petitioner had paid for the drugs smuggled across the border. However, the petitioner maintained that he had no involvement in the alleged crime.
The petitioner’s initial attempt to obtain anticipatory bail from the trial court was unsuccessful, prompting him to approach the High Court with the present plea.
The State, however, strongly opposed the petition. Counsel for the State argued that the petitioner was part of a larger drug smuggling network that uses drones to bring heroin from Pakistan.
The State further contended that custodial interrogation was essential to determine the petitioner’s exact role in the crime and to recover drones, mobile phones, SIM cards, and bank accounts linked to the drug network.
The State also highlighted that the petitioner had been involved in multiple such cases and had been declared a proclaimed offender in May this year.
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After considering the gravity of the allegations and the submissions made by both sides, the High Court agreed with the State’s argument. The Court noted that custodial interrogation was necessary and dismissed the anticipatory bail plea.
The petitioner was represented by advocate Ritesh Pandey, while Deputy Advocate General Ravinder Singh appeared for the State of Punjab.
Case Title:
Robert Masih v. State of Punjab.
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